Storm Tide
Chapter One
The waves crashed on the storm-ravaged beach as the shrouded form of a woman rushed back to her home. Beside her, a child struggled to keep up. He, too, was shrouded, features hidden from prying eyes.
"Hurry along, now, Triton. We must get home before the storm's second wave comes." The woman said, as the child lagged behind.
"But Mother, there's something on the beach!" the child, Triton, said, as he pointed a finger at what looked to be a rumpled, sea-ravaged sail.
"It's just some debris from a shipwreck, child. There are many this time of year." The mother said, in exasperation.
"But Mother, it moved!" Triton objected.
"Now listen, this is no time to have a runaway imagination! We must get back before the storm strikes!" the mother said, becoming a little angry with her son.
"I'll prove it to you! That thing moved! It's alive!" Triton shouted, as he rushed over to the thing.
"Triton! Wait!" the mother shouted, suddenly frantic. What if the sea washed her son away? Triton didn't hear his mother's shout, and if he had, he wouldn't have heeded. He was too wrapped up in finding out what the thing was. Right when he touched the 'tattered sail' a very human groan came from it and it shuddered away from his touch. Not wasting a single second, Triton struggled to move the heavy bundle further up the beach, away from the water that had brought it to their shore. When he'd pulled it as far as he could, he took out a small knife he'd been given on his tenth birthday and started cutting the ropes that were tangled around the bundle.
"Triton! There's no time!" the mother shouted, trying to reason with her stubborn son. The boy ignored her, and continued cutting the ropes. By now, the wind had picked up and was whipping the boy's cloak around.
"Triton!" the mother screamed, as lightning lit the sky.
"Mother! It's a man! And he's still alive! We've got to help him!" Triton shouted, as he removed the material covering the man's face and showed the woman.
"All right. Help me carry him back. We can't very well leave him here." the mother said, reluctantly. With that said, they carried the unconscious man back to their home, far from the deadly shore.
When they got to their warm, dry cabin, the woman went about the business of getting the stranger into dry clothes. With many grunts, grumbles and blushes, the woman finally got the dry clothing onto the man.
"Mother, the soup is ready." Triton said, as he emerged from the room that served as the kitchen of the small dwelling.
"All right. Let me get our guest situated first." The mother said, as she dragged the man over to a bed and laid him on it. Then, gently, she put a hand to his forehead and found that a high fever resided there.
"Saltwater does that to chimeras. I should know." The woman thought, as she looked at her own hands.
"Mother, is the man going to be all right?" Triton asked, as he watched the stranger's shallow breathing.
"I hope so. This storm season has claimed so many lives already." The mother murmured, as she placed a damp cloth on the man's brow and stood up. There was nothing more she could do now except wait.
"He may not live. From what I can tell, his lungs don't sound good. I will have to go to Sairaag tomorrow and get some medicine for him. This is going to be a long night." The woman thought, as she went into the other room and helped herself to a bowl of soup.
Author's Note!
To avoid any confusion, this story is not related to 'Rain', 'Promises' or 'Confession'.
Gemini